In part I (Why Most YouTube Videos Suck) we looked at why the majority of YouTube videos fail to generate views; instead languishing with little or no interest. Thankfully YouTube is just one of a myriad of platforms and channels that are available to individuals, businesses and organisations who seek to leverage social media to attract new customers and build followers.

The only truth (unfortunately for marketers) is that there is no magic recipe for success with Video Marketing. Businesses that experience positive results do so by creating great content, deploying effectively, measuring results, before adjusting and repeating the process. However, even when content is being ‘worked hard,’ marketers can still become disillusioned by a poor outcome.

‘Businesses that experience positive results do so by creating great content.’

To garner results which justify your time, effort and money, it is imperative that careful consideration be given from the outset to your ‘campaign objectives’. Businesses who create content, giving little or no thought to the specifics of what they hope to achieve, are simply launching the ship without the rudder.

‘… audiences must become emotionally engaged…’

For a video to be viewed and (ideally) shared, audiences must become emotionally engaged or intrigued by its content. To allow this to happen there are several rules which can help to manifest the perfect Video Marketing storm.

Be Unique

With so much content floating around, it’s vital that whatever you chose to share be original. Do your homework and check what the competition and industry leaders are doing? Seek to create content that sets you apart, either by your approach (case studies / how-to videos etc.), technique (use of various technology), format (video/ animation) and differentiate yourself.

Be Proud

There’s certainly a place for home-made content, but that’s unlikely to be your homepage. Whilst we always encourage our partners to get hands-on with kit, we do advise that ‘off-the-cuff-videos’ be saved for blogs and low-risk platforms. Any content that represents your brand and what you stand for, should where budget and time allows, be professional and high quality.

Be Dedicated

Good things come to those that wait (and work very hard in the meantime). There are some common patterns of behaviour within Video Marketing; audience views will usually peak before slowly plateauing, and some Social Media channels will work better than others. Effective sharing is capitilising on the opportunity to gain as many views as possible across all target platforms. Before sharing your content, create a deployment plan which ensures all your social media channels are branded, up to date and that supporting information is ready before content is launched.

Be ‘Shareworthy’

Don’t expect to get results sharing content that you wouldn’t share yourself. This is where you really have to get under the skin of you target audience and imagine the content from their point of view. Does the message hit home? Can you imagine your customer being inspired enough to pass to a colleague or share with a friend? If the answer is no, then expect poor results.

Be Mobile (friendly)

The chance of your social media video content being watched first on a mobile device is high. An effective campaign must, therefore, consider which channels are mostly likely to be the platform of choice for target viewers. For example, if your audience hangs out on Facebook (where videos queue quietly) then it’s important your video grab attention in the first few seconds, creating stand out within your viewers’ thread.

Be Emotive

We connect most with content that triggers an emotive response inside us (which might explain why cute babies and cats do particularly well on YouTube…) Whether it makes us laugh, cry or angry, for video to be truly engaging, it must connect with viewers on a deeper level. Easier said than done, of course, crafting such empathic content requires a greater understanding of what makes your target audience tick. However, develop a style which consistently gets a reaction and you’ve cracked it!

Be Regular

If the objective is to attract and develop audiences, there’s little point in creating and uploading a single video. To stand the greatest chance of having viewers choose to ‘follow’ or ‘like’ your content requires a far more strategic approach. Rather try and design a series of content that audiences can relate to; content that has purpose, structure and value.

Be Timely

Seize the moment by creating and distributing content which reflects trending news, topical information or seasonal events. There are many opportunities to relate to what will already be bubbling under your viewers subconscious. What’s going on around you that can use as inspiration?

Be Informative (or entertaining)

Let’s be honest, there is more than enough low-value content floating around the ether without you adding to it. If people want to whittle away hours watching mindless content, there are many places to find it… Businesses must be far more discerning with their approach to video marketing. Simply put, if it doesn’t add value, don’t share it. Content should either inform or entertain.

Be Quick!

This may all sound like hard work and that it is. Video Production, like any profession, can take years to master. However, whether your organisation is creating content in-house or commissioning professionals, you can’t afford your communication strategy to slow you down. Your competition isn’t waiting for you to act, so once you’ve developed your plan, act upon it and ‘get your content out there!’

Seek to adopt as many of these mantras as possible and you’ll stand a greater chance of capturing attention with relevant content, motivating the urge for your target audiences to take appropriate action.

Neil is Director at Three Motion, a Video & Animation Production company, based in Northeast England. Follow us for Video & Production marketing tips, techniques and best practice advice…. View full profile ›